• Abdul Abdullah, Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, 2019, manual embroidery made with the assistance of DGTMB Studios, 150 x 120 cm
  • Abdul Abdullah, Where trouble melts like lemon drops, 2019, manual embroidery made with the assistance of DGTMB Studios, 150 x 120 cm
  • Abdul Abdullah, Contested territory, 2019, oil on linen, 161 x 480 cm (quadriptych)
  • Abdul Abdullah, No one is an island, 2019, oil on linen, 161 x 120 cm
  • Abdul Abdullah, Together, 2019, oil on linen, 151 x 120 cm
  • Abdul Abdullah, Everybody agrees on everything, 2019, manual embroidery made with the assistance of DGTMB Studios (top); oil on linen (bottom), 240 x 180 cm (diptych)
  • Abdul Abdullah, Boundless plains to share, 2019, manual embroidery made with the assistance of DGTMB Studios, 200 x 300 cm
  • Abdul Abdullah, Where the clouds are far behind me, 2019, manual embroidery made with the assistance of DGTMB Studios, 150 x 120 cm
  • Abdul Abdullah, Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens, 2019, manual embroidery made with the assistance of DGTMB Studios, 150 x 120 cm
EXHIBITION

Abdul Abdullah

Contested Territories

15 Sep - 27 Oct 2019

YAVUZ GALLERY SYDNEY
86 George Street, Redfern, NSW 2016, Australia

Yavuz Gallery is proud to announce the opening of its second permanent space. The first gallery from Southeast Asia with a permanent presence in Australia, Yavuz Gallery Sydney will continue the strong curatorial program established by the gallery in Asia since 2010. This new chapter aims to provide a platform to showcase Southeast Asian artists while broadening and continuing the gallery’s existing ties to Australia and New Zealand.

Yavuz Gallery Sydney’s inaugural exhibition presents new works by critically-acclaimed artist Abdul Abdullah.

The exhibition Contested Territories showcases large-scale paintings and embroideries that examine the concept of ‘the journey’ as an obstacle to be overcome on the way to an ultimate destination. This new body of work explores the aspirations of those traversing from where they are to where they want to be, and speak to an imagined utopia and the difficulties and challenges the disenfranchised face along the way. Whether a journey of personal or societal development, or the physical journey of a boat across an ocean, Contested Territories examines the shared resilience and common desire to live a fulfilled life.

As a seventh-generation Muslim Australian of mixed ethnicity who grew up in suburban Perth, Abdullah’s multi-disciplinary practice is motivated by a longstanding concern with the complex feelings of displacement and alienation associated with histories of diaspora and migration. Providing a voice to these often overlooked topics, he creates carefully crafted political commentaries that speak of the ‘Other’ and the experiences of marginalised communities. While the fraught dynamic of Muslim experiences has provided the initial framework, Abdullah has consciously expanded his practice to include a broader sense of marginalisation. Intersecting between popular culture, contemporary conflicts and personal experience, Contested Territories embodies the trajectory of his works that renegotiate histories and create space for alternative possibilities and new conversations. Grounding his outlook with an expansive cultural geography that belies reductive boundaries of nationality, Abdullah represents a new face of emerging artists from the Asia-Pacific region. Abdullah’s recent solo presentation at Art Basel Hong Kong Kabinett 2019 with the gallery was well received and was listed among the top presentations at the fair by TimeOut Hong Kong and CoBo Social.